Short Reviews: Second Edition

SYNOPSIS: In this stunning bridge book between Cress and Winter in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles, Queen Levana’s story is finally told.

Mirror, mirror on the wall,

Who is the fairest of them all?

Fans of the Lunar Chronicles know Queen Levana as a ruler who uses her “glamour” to gain power. But long before she crossed paths with Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress, Levana lived a very different story – a story that has never been told . . . until now.

THOUGHTS: I really loved this book! One of my main problems with the Lunar Chronicles was that Levana wasn’t fleshed out that well. We didn’t really know why she is the way she is. But with this book, we get to see what happened to her and how her mind works. I was kind of scared that this book would make me sympathize with Levana, and while it did at the beginning, I think I may hate her a bit more than I used to. Just the way she thinks is so messed up, let alone the other crazy stuff she does. I also loved seeing Cinder and Winter as kids! They were so adorable! I would highly recommend this book to any fan of the Lunar Chronicles.

Confess by Colleen Hoover

RATING: 8.5/10

SYNOPSIS: Auburn Reed has her entire life mapped out. Her goals are in sight and there’s no room for mistakes. But when she walks into a Dallas art studio in search of a job, she doesn’t expect to find a deep attraction to the enigmatic artist who works there, Owen Gentry.

For once, Auburn takes a risk and puts her heart in control, only to discover Owen is keeping major secrets from coming out. The magnitude of his past threatens to destroy everything important to Auburn, and the only way to get her life back on track is to cut Owen out of it.

The last thing Owen wants is to lose Auburn, but he can’t seem to convince her that truth is sometimes as subjective as art. All he would have to do to save their relationship is confess. But in this case, the confession could be much more destructive than the actual sin…

THOUGHTS: I’ll be honest; I wasn’t expecting to pick this one up. I was a bit wary of it because it’s new adult and I’ve never read a new adult book. The only reason I picked it up was because of the art. I love art and when I saw the paintings inside this book, I knew I had to give it a try. I’m happy to say that I really enjoyed this book! The characters were great and I loved how the story came to a full circle. I was in tears at the ending! Also, I REALLY enjoyed the confessions. The fact that they were real made the story feel more personal. I wish there was more of an art aspect to the book. The way Owen thinks when he talks about his paintings is so relatable to me! I think this book was a great introduction to new adult and I’m definitely going to be picking up more of Hoover’s work!

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling

RATING: 100/10

SYNOPSIS: Harry Potter thinks he is an ordinary boy. He lives with his Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia and cousin Dudley, who are mean to him and make him sleep in a cupboard under the stairs. (Dudley, however, has two bedrooms, one to sleep in and one for all his toys and games.) Then Harry starts receiving mysterious letters and his life is changed forever. He is whisked away by a beetle-eyed giant of a man and enrolled at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The reason: Harry Potter is a wizard! The first book in the “Harry Potter” series makes the perfect introduction to the world of Hogwarts.

THOUGHTS: For the LONGEST time, I couldn’t read this book. I mean, every time I tried to read it, I would end up falling asleep. So I was really surprised when I got the urge to read it. But thank goodness I did! I ended up LOVING this book! The world was interesting, the characters were relatable, and I just can’t believe I couldn’t get into this. I mean, EVERY SINGLE YEAR I tried to read this book, and I just so happened to finish this book now! I will say though, I really don’t like Snape. I mean, who holds a grudge on a guy they don’t like’s kid? That’s kind of messed up. Oh well. I’m taking this slow so I think I’ll pick up the next book in September!